SM UC-12

Career (German Empire)
Name:	UC-12
Ordered:	23 November 1914[1]
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen[2]
Yard number:	226[1]
Laid down:	27 January 1915[1]
Launched:	29 April 1915[1]
Commissioned:	2 May 1915[1]
Fate:	sunk by own mine, 16 March 1916[1]
General characteristics
Class and type:	German Type UC I submarine
Displacement:	168 t (185 short tons), surfaced[2] 182 t (201 short tons), submerged
Length:	111 ft 6 in (33.99 m)[3]
Beam:	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)[3]
Draft:	10 ft (3 m)[3]
Propulsion:	1 × propeller shaft 1 × Benz 6-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engine, 90 bhp (67 kW)[3] 1 × electric motor, 175 shp (130 kW)[3]
Speed:	6.49 knots (12.02 km/h), surfaced[2] 5.67 knots (10.50 km/h), submerged
Endurance:	910 nautical miles at 5 knots, surfaced[3] (1,690 km at 9.3 km/h) 50 nautical miles at 4 knots, submerged[3] (93 km at 7.4 km/h)
Test depth:	50 m (160 ft)[3]
Complement:	14[3]
Armament:	6 × 100 cm (39 in) mine tubes[3] 12 × UC 120 mines 1 × 8 mm (0.31 in) machine gun[2]

SM UC-12 was a German Type UC I minelayer submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy (German: Kaiserliche Marine) during World War I.

Construction

The U-boat was ordered on 23 November 1914, laid down on 27 January 1915, and was launched on 29 April 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 2 May 1915 as SM UC-12.^{[Note 1]}

Service history

UC-12 served with the Pola Flotilla based at Cattaro in the Adriatic. She operated as a minelayer, and undertook seven patrols in this role. Mines laid by UC-12 were credited with sinking six ships. One of these, the Italian Marechiaro sunk on 21 February 1916, was listed as a hospital ship and sank with over 200 casualties.^[7] Since Germany was not at war with Italy at this stage, though Austria was, UC 12, like other German U-boats in the Mediterranean, operated under the Austro-Hungarian flag.

Fate

On 16 March 1916 UC-12 was sunk by the detonation of one of her own mines while laying a mine fields off Taranto harbour. Italian divers inspected the wreck and established its identity. The knowledge that Germany, technically their ally, was assiduously mining their naval bases was a contributing factor in Italy’s decision in May 1916 to declare war on Germany.^[8] The submarine was raised by Italy and commissioned as X-1 in the Italian Royal Navy.^[1]

Summary of Raiding Career

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate[9]
16 February 1916	Memphis	French Navy	2,382	Sunk
21 February 1916	Marechiaro	Regia Marina	412	Sunk
23 February 1916	Monsone	Regia Marina	249	Sunk
26 February 1916	HMD Lily Reaich	Royal Navy	88	Sunk
3 March 1916	HMD Boy Harold	Royal Navy	74	Sunk
8 March 1916	HMD Enterprise II	Royal Navy	84	Sunk

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Bendert, Harald (2001). Die UC-Boote der Kaiserlichen Marine 1914-1918. Minenkrieg mit U-Booten (in German). Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0758-7.